Anne Frank: June 6, 1944

Anne Frank kept a diary from June 12, 1942 to August 1, 1944. During this time, her family was sequestered in a secret annex made up of a few small attic rooms located at 263 Prinsengracht in Amsterdam. These rooms were in the same building as Otto Frank’s business, which continued to operate in his absence. Since the building was in use during the daytime hours, the hiders had to be very still and quiet so that they would not be discovered. Though they were unable to move about freely, they were not entirely cut off from the outside world. They had non-Jewish helpers who brought supplies and information on a regular basis. During the night, when the building was empty, they could also listen to the radio in the office. Through radio broadcasts from Great Britain, the Franks were able to stay informed about the progress of the war.

On June 6, 1944, Anne recorded the most momentous news she and her family had heard in years. She wrote “’This is D Day,’ the BBC announced at twelve. ‘This is the day.’ The invasion has begun.” Her reaction to the news was jubilant, but tinged with disbelief. “Is this really the beginning of the long-awaited liberation? The liberation we’ve all talked so much about, which still seems too good, too much of a fairy tale ever to come true? Will this year, 1944, bring us victory? We don’t know yet. But where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”

Anne knew that the Allied landings would not immediately bring liberation and freedom. She wrote realistically about the fears, hardships and sufferings still to come, but now hoped that the end was in sight. Tragically, Anne did not experience the liberation for which she longed so fervently. Her family’s hiding place was betrayed to the Nazis and she did not survive her imprisonment. Her diary entry for June 6, 1944 proves, however, that she had not given up hope.